Chiconomical

Over the knee boots are a trend that's taken the blogosphere by storm. They're a nifty little way of wearing your short skirts while still ensuring that your feet don't turn blue. When I was hit by a bit of the flu a few weeks ago, I decided to pull out my trusty over the knee boots (these have seen wear during my time in cooler climes last year) and pair them with pretty much all the winter gear I own to keep toasty while walking around town on errands.




This grey jumper was bought last year for a complete bargain at Colaba Causeway. It's Zara knitwear, from the streets!! I have worn it multiple times already and its super toasty. While I haven't been able to find more on the streets this year, keep an eye on stores like PAX and the street stalls around electric house at Colaba Causeway for more additions the closer we get to December. The grey coat is something you've seen on the blog before alongwith the piano hat that I'm super proud of! Its possibly the best item I've knit till date! The rest of the look is simple and yes, I decided to go the uber cliched way of accessoring a winter look with a Starbucks cup! (I did drink all the coffee in it during the shoot though).

A grey look that's still sleek yet modern, this is my kind of winter dressing. While I know Mumbai weather doesn't usually allow for so many knitted layers, I still think this look is great for the cities that have lower temperatures. Wondering how to rock over the knee boots in Mumbai? Worry not, the next post will have you sorted!

Hello Winter. You've snuck up into our daily routine with a slight nip in the air. Those five extra minutes in the morning as we struggle to get out of bed not wanting to leave the safety of the covers, and face the day have become very real.

Hello winter, you've tricked us with the scorching heat and bring us back to the essence of living in a scorching city. Mumbai is bouncing between hot and cold and settling firmly in confused somewhere.

Hello winter, you've heralded the season of happiness. There are weddings all around, red cups in the coffee shops and pretty fairy lights in stores. You made everything a little sweeter by just being.

Hello winter, you've had us dig out our boots and scarves. You are a constant companion in those long journeys in the train and even in the endless car rides inspite of aircon being on. We love that its cooler outside when we step out of the car at night.

Hello winter, you've given us an excuse to layer and pull out our knitwear that's usually only utilised on fancy trips.
Hello winter, you've given us an opportunity to properly utilise said layers to hide all the holiday and wedding binges we go on and still pass off as fashionable. We love that we can wear our slouchy jumpers that can hide our body fat and beanies that can hide the bad hair days we have ever so often.

Hello winter, thank you for giving us a chance to justify having hot chocolate with little marshmallows in bed while we watch our favorite tv shows under the quilt.

Hello winter, please stick around a bit longer this time!

Let's be clear. I'm not a sports-anything. I'm a crawl into your bed and read books under the covers while you sip your hot coffee person. Yes, I'm really a cat disguised as as actual person. So of course, reading a book about a (absolutely amaze-balls) sportswoman was a match made of contradictory emotions. I love reading a book so that's right up my alley but reading anything related to sports isn't my forte. So imagine my surprise when I couldn't put this book down. Also, I won't really talk about Anu Vaidyanathan and her well known achievements in this review (you can read about that here first if you're curious). I'm going to talk about what the book represents to me.

Anu Vaidyanathan is a essentially a goddess in my book. She writes the way she speaks (not that I've spoken to her but a girl can dream right?) and that's honestly the best kind of writing there is. The book is about her journey from the dusty lanes of Bangalore where she trained to the picturesque mountains where she competed in various Triathalons and other equally (crazy in my book) races.
The book does exactly what the cover promises, its literally an adventure in endurance. The writing brings to life the mental endurance that is a lot more important than physical endurance in many cases. I've always felt that most books about sports don't talk enough about the turbulence a person goes through in trying to achieve any goal-big or small.



One of the early parts of the book deals with Anu's disillusion with academia and its hidden red tape. She decides to quit her PhD program in order to come back and start working on her own venture. While I'm nowhere close to as gutsy as her, this part resonates with a lot of events in my recent life.
Of course, there's also the nicest little bit where she finds herself holding conversations with trees more than people. Honestly, I've been there and the book gives such insight into how difficult it is to work to achieve something when just about two people (thanks to all the supportive mom and dad's out there) support you and the only fuel you've got is your determination and passion.
 Truly, the journey fascinates and inspires. While the book may be about a sport, its got enough everyday problems and inspiration to help any person with lofty goals. I found myself reading slower and slower as I neared the end of the book, almost as though I didn't want the story to end. This obviously meant that this review has lagged that much because of my churlish needs. However, the finish only made me want to read it again, and that's something I can't really say for a lot of books I've read recently.

My advice? Buy it right now, it's not even a question. Brilliant, down to earth and an extraordinary story about somebody who thinks they're rather ordinary...this is really a must read!

Happy Children's day guys! Yes, its that day when the country celebrates the children and frankly, while I may not techncially fall in the "childrens" category anymore I believe in being a child at heart. That's exactly why this post is all about adding a bit of fun to your everyday school wardrobe. The Hattie x Koovs collection is a brilliant answer! Even if you don't go to school, its a cool collection that can work for casual Fridays at the office. I don't quite have words to describe how fun the HattiexKoovs collection is. No, I haven't been paid by Koovs to write about this and all the views and purchases in this post are my very own with my hard earned money!

So a few days ago, scrolling as I was through my instagram feed, I saw that the Hattie x Koovs collection had launched. Of course I logged on the website and saw the collection with growing excitement only to take a look at the prices and get majorly bummed out. Yes, I absolutely love the jackets but I really don't have that much money to spare for a jacket that I won't be able to wear in the current weather. But then, last weekend I got a message saying I get 1000 off any purchases over 2500 and I jumped with joy. You see, thanks to a few returns in the recent past I did have some credit in the store and combined with this voucuher, it was heaven! I promptly ordered the bag you see in the images and can I just say it was a great buy? (yes, you've seen it before in this post)






The entire collection is a riot of colors and pop. Each piece oozes with a freshness and energy that's sure to make you smile and get excited just looking at it. Cheeky little quotes and interesting art makes you want to think about going back to your carefree school days. While the prices are a little on the high side, I think this collection would definitely make you smile even if you own one piece from it like me. The bag I bought is actually roomy and perfect for carrying almost your whole world. I managed to pack in my laptop, water bottle, wallet, makeup and a change of clothes and there was still room to spare!

Coming to the look, I wanted something that channeled my inner child. I love pop art at the moment and this sweatshirt is perfect for dreaming about summer while being chilled to the bone. Since its not really that cold in Mumbai, I paired it with a skater skirt and tied my hair in messy braids. The results, a look that's almost as fun as the bag!